Super Bowl MVP winner ends 28-year wait after Seahawks’ triumph as Sam Darnold misses out
Kenneth Walker III claimed the Most Valuable Player award at Super Bowl LX – ending a 28-year wait for the award.
Walker powered the Seattle Seahawks to a 29-13 triumph over the New England Patriots in San Francisco last night, and was amply rewarded for his efforts.
The running back’s outstanding display made him the first player at his position to receive the honour since Denver’s Terrell Davis achieved the feat following the 1997 campaign in Super Bowl XXXII.
Quarterbacks had dominated the award in recent years, winning five of the previous six editions.
But Walker’s ground-based brilliance proved decisive on a night when neither signal-caller produced exceptional performances.
The 25-year-old collected his trophy on the Levi’s Stadium turf amid falling confetti, expressing gratitude to Seattle’s passionate supporters.
Walker’s statistics told the story of Seattle’s dominant win.
The running back accumulated 135 yards from 27 rushing attempts alongside 26 yards through the air from two receptions.
During the opening half, he single-handedly outproduced New England’s entire offensive unit.
Kenneth Walker III claimed the Most Valuable Player award at Super Bowl LX
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By half-time, he reached 94 yards on 14 carries.
His was the second-highest first-half rushing total in Super Bowl history – behind only Washington’s Timmy Smith.
His explosive running included back-to-back gains of 29 and 30 yards within a three-play sequence, setting up Seattle’s second field goal.
It made him just the third player in championship game history to record multiple rushes exceeding 25 yards in a single Super Bowl.
Walker assumed the lead running back duties after teammate Zach Charbonnet suffered a torn ACL
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Walker assumed the lead running back duties after teammate Zach Charbonnet suffered a torn ACL during Seattle’s divisional round victory against the San Francisco 49ers.
He went on to make more than 100 scrimmage yards in three successive postseason matches, a feat no other player in Seahawks history has accomplished.
His playoff campaign concluded with 313 rushing yards across the three games, narrowly missing Marshawn Lynch’s franchise postseason record of 318 yards established in 2014.
Throughout the regular season, Walker had shared carries with Charbonnet, but the latter’s ACL injury thrust him into an expanded role that he seized emphatically on the sport’s grandest stage.
Walker’s exceptional Super Bowl performance comes as the running back is set to become an unrestricted free agent
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Walker’s exceptional Super Bowl performance comes as the running back is set to become an unrestricted free agent for the first time in March after completing the final year of his rookie deal worth just under £2million.
And with his expiry looming, head coach Mike MacDonald made clear the franchise’s intentions earlier in the week.
He said: “Of course, we want Ken back. He’s a phenomenal player. He’s a great person. He’s a great teammate. Those are the people we want in our building.”
Walker, who largely avoided the media spotlight during Super Bowl week, indicated his preference when asked about his future: “If it was my choice, I’d definitely stay.”
